Street-railway switch.



PATENTED APR. 16,-1907.

C. A. RIDLEY. 4 STREET RAILWAY SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21,1906.

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UNITED STA;T P ATENT OFFICE.

' CLARENCE A. RIDLEY, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

STREET-RAILWAY SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 16, 1907.

Application filed June 21, 1906. Serial No. 322,708

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE A. RIDLEY,

a citizen of the United States, residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented certain themechanism is mounted is so constructed that dirt or other foreign matter cannot find its way thereinto and clog or otherwise interfere with a proper working of the mechanism confined therein.

A still further object is to provide a simple,

inexpensive, durable, and efficient street-rail way switch.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of one form of my invention. Fig.2 is a longitudinal sectional view through Fig. 1, also showing a portion of a car mounted above the switch. Fig. 3 is a sectional view illustrating the operating push-rods. Fig. 4 is a plan view, the movable block being omitted. Fig. 5 is a plan view of a modification.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, reference character 1 indicates the main rails, and 2 the switchrails, 3 indicating the pivoted switchingpoint. p

Disposed between the rails is a-casing 4, having a lateral extension'5 at one-end.

This casing has its upper edges channeled to form an inner marginal shoulder 6 to support the cover or top plate 7 The top plate has a depression in its upper face, resulting in the oppositely-disposed guide-flanges 8, there being inclines 9 adjacent each flange for a purpose presently explained. Formed transversely through the topplate and between the ends of the depression thereof is a transverse slot 10, and upon opposite sides of this slot are the transverse guiding-ribs 11 and 12.

Mounted for lateral movement within the depression of the top plate is a switchingblock 13, provided with a depending member 14, designed to have sliding movement in the aforesaid slotlO, and by means of a suitable key 15 passed through the depending member the block and its depending member cannot become accidentally displaced. This block 18 is guided in its lateral play by the aforesaid guiding-ribs 11 and 12, there-being corresponding transverse grooves 16 and 17'formed in the under face of the block to receive said ribs. It will be seen that one end of the block tapers at opposite edges in a direction opposite to the taper 18 at the free ends of the aforesaid guide-flanges to provide a clear passage between the corresponding side of the block and the corre sponding guide-flange for the corresponding operating-rods 19 and 20 upon the car-platform 21. These operating-rods are mounted in suitable casings 22 and are spring-actuated, as shown. The motorman presses one of the rods to slide the switching-block according to the direction he wishes to take at the switch.

Pivoted intermediate its ends to the under face of the topplate is a lever 28, provided at one end with an opening 24, designed to fit the aforesaid depending member 14, with its opposite end pivotally connected to the rod 25, which connects with the switching-point 3. Obviously, therefore, a lateral sliding of the switching-block 13 will cause a corresponding sliding movement of the switchingpoint. The lever 23 may be secured at one end against accidental displacement by disposing it between the aforesaid key 15 and the under face of the top plate, and in assembling the parts the lever-may be thus secured in place, and the connection therebetween and the rod 25 may be effected through a hand-opening 26 in the top plate directly over the pivoted connection of the lever and rod. The switching-block effectually covers the slot 10, while the supplemental cover 27 covers the hand-hole 26, thereby preventing snow, dirt, or other foreign matter from finding its ,way into the casing and hinder or interferewith a proper operation of the parts.

In Fig. 5 I. show a modification wherein the parts are similar in all respects to the mechanism hereinbefore described, save that the switching-block 13. is longer and has one end pivoted by a suitable pivot 28 and also has semicircular grooves 16 and 17 instead of straight grooves to work over correspondingly-formed ribs 11 and 12. In this modified form the pivot 28 need not be retained, or the pivot may be retained and the semicircular grooves and ribs omitted.

IOO

What is claimed isl. A railway-switch comprising a casing rovided with a removable cover, the cover aving an opening, guiding-ribs mounted upon the cover, a switching-block provided with grooves in its under face for sliding engagement with the said ribs and also having a depending portion projecting through said opening, and a switching-lever arranged Within the casing and having connection with said depending portion of the block.

2. A railway-switch comprising a casing provided with curved ribs, a block pivoted to slide upon the casing and rovided with curved grooves in its under ace for sliding engagement upon the ribs, and a lever ar ranged within the casing and having connection with said block.

3. A railway-switch comprising a casing provided with a removable cover, the cover having an opening, a switching-blook arranged to slide upon the cover and having a depending portion projecting through said opening, a switching-lever arranged within the casing, and having connection. with said depending port-ion of the block, the cover having a hand-opening, and a removable cover for the hand-opening.

4. A railway-switch comprising a casing,

[guiding-ribs mounted upon the casing, a switching-block mounted to slide upon said ribs, and a switching-lever mounted within the casing and having connection with the switching-block to throw the switch.

5. A railway-switch comprising a casing, guiding-ribs mounted upon the casing, a switching-block mounted to slide upon. said ribs, a switching-lever mounted within the casing and having connection with the switching-block to throw the switch and a hand-opening in the casing.

6. A railway-switch comprising a casing provided with exterior ribs and an opening CLARENCE A. RIDLEY.

Witnesses:

CHESTER W. BROWN, L. LIAYENNO.

intermediate the ribs, a switching-block piv 

